Register for the 2026 Gathering — September 16, 2026
Check-In / Breakfast / Expo — 7:30am to 8:00am
Russ Lipari — 8:00am to 8:15am
Luncheon Keynote
Jay Bhattacharya,
MD, PhD
MD, PhD
18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Exclusive Fireside Chat
with the CDC Director
Samantha Brown-Parks,
MD, MPH
MD, MPH
Regional Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Atlanta Region
Atlanta Region
Erica Schwartz,
MD, MPH, JD
MD, MPH, JD
Director
Centers for Disease Control
& Prevention (CDC)
& Prevention (CDC)
Presenting Sponsor
Corwin Harper
President
Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Opening Remarks
The Southeast’s Health Future Starts Here
8:55-9:10am — Networking Time
9:10 – 9:50am
Voices from the Top: Leading Healthcare into the Future
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
Caylee Noggle
President & CEO
Georgia Hospital
Association
Georgia Hospital
Association
Oscar Marroquin, MD
Chief Administrative &
Chief Operating Officer
Emory Healthcare
Chief Operating Officer
Emory Healthcare
Anthony Saul
President & COO
Grady Health System
Grady Health System
David W. Zaas MD, MBA
CEO
Duke University
Health System
Duke University
Health System
9:10 – 9:50am
The Future of Brain Health: Innovation Meets Impact
Atlantic
Ballroom
Ballroom
Tim Denning, PhD
President & CEO
Georgia Research Alliance
Georgia Research Alliance
Allan Levey, MD, PhD
Director Emory’s Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center
Emory University’s
School of Medicine
Disease Research Center
Emory University’s
School of Medicine
Erica Coe
Global Executive Director
McKinsey Health Institute
McKinsey Health Institute
Chris Rozell, PhD
Executive Director,
Institute for Neuroscience,
Neurotechnology & Society
Georgia Tech
Institute for Neuroscience,
Neurotechnology & Society
Georgia Tech
9:55 – 10:35am
Healthcare Affordability and Preventive Care
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
David Rubinger
Market President
and Publisher
Atlanta Business Chronicle
and Publisher
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Amanda Free
President
Anthem, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia
Anthem, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia
Yogin Patel, MD
CEO
ApolloMD
ApolloMD
John Stitt
Executive Director,
US Pharma Business
Merck & Co., Inc
US Pharma Business
Merck & Co., Inc
9:55 – 10:35am
Transforming Cancer Care: Innovation on the Front Lines
Atlantic
Ballroom
Ballroom
Kristin Higgins, MD
Chief Clinical Officer
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
Leslie Popplewell, MD
Chief of Hematology
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
Chris Waits
Executive Director of
Oncology
Spencer Cancer Center
Oncology
Spencer Cancer Center
Patti Korth, BSMT
Senior Program Director
in Therapeutic
and Cellular Solutions
American National Red Cross
in Therapeutic
and Cellular Solutions
American National Red Cross
10:35 – 10:50am — Networking Break / Expo
10:50 – 11:30am
Breaking Silos: Collaboration as Healthcare’s Competitive Advantage
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
James Lewis
Chief Strategy & Growth Officer
Woven Health Collective
Woven Health Collective
Tim Lieuwen, PhD
Executive
Vice President for Research
Georgia Tech
Vice President for Research
Georgia Tech
Carolyn K Clevenger, DNP, RN, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN
Founding Dean &
Professor School of Nursing
University of Georgia
Professor School of Nursing
University of Georgia
10:50 – 11:30am
Funding the Future: Where Healthcare Investment Is Heading
Atlantic
Ballroom
Ballroom
Bob Crutchfield
Managing Director
1824 Health Ventures &
Mainsail Venture Funds
1824 Health Ventures &
Mainsail Venture Funds
Tim Howe
AVP, Strategy &
Investments – Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
Investments – Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
Stephen Scott
Principal
Morgan Health Ventures
Morgan Health Ventures
Lauren Pierce Flickinger
Partner
Hatteras Venture Partners
Hatteras Venture Partners
11:35am-12:15pm
Artificial Intelligence: Accelerating the Next Era of Medicine
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
Rahul Nayak, MD
Director,
Virtual Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente
Virtual Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente
Dennis Liotta, PhD
Executive Director
Emory Institute for
Drug Development
Emory University
Emory Institute for
Drug Development
Emory University
Jeffrey Skolnick, PhD
Regents’ Professor,
GRA Eminent Scholar in
Computational Systems Biology
Georgia Tech
GRA Eminent Scholar in
Computational Systems Biology
Georgia Tech
Lauren Drowley
Head of U.S. Research
UCB
UCB
11:35am-12:15pm
Closing the Gap: Advancing Healthcare in Rural America
Atlantic
Ballroom
Ballroom
Jeremy Slaga
Chief Clinical
Operations Officer
FSU Health
Operations Officer
FSU Health
Brandon Talley, PhD, MPH
Executive Vice President,
Chief Impact and Innovation
CDC Foundation
Chief Impact and Innovation
CDC Foundation
Baha Zeidan
CEO
Azalea Health
Azalea Health
Stephanie Beavers, MD, FACP
Vice Dean of Academics
and Administration
Mercer University School
of Medicine
and Administration
Mercer University School
of Medicine
Lunch & Speakers — 12:20 – 1:20pm
12:20-12:50pm — Lunch / Networking / Seating
Luncheon Keynote
12:50 – 1:20pm
Jay Bhattacharya,
MD, PhD
MD, PhD
18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
1:25 – 2:05pm
Value Based Care
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
Cheryl Preheim
Anchor 11Alive News
NBC Atlanta
NBC Atlanta
Hamza Hasan
Executive Director,
Strategy & Implementation
Kaiser Permanente
Strategy & Implementation
Kaiser Permanente
Todd Greene
Senior Vice President
Institutional Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
Institutional Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
Danielle Phelps Swartz
EVP, Value Based Care
Cone Health
Exclusive Fireside Chat
with the CDC Director
2:10 – 2:40pm
Samantha Brown-Parks,
MD, MPH
MD, MPH
Regional Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Atlanta Region
Atlanta Region
Erica Schwartz,
MD, MPH, JD
MD, MPH, JD
Director
Centers for Disease Control
& Prevention (CDC)
& Prevention (CDC)
2:45 – 3:25pm
Building Healthcare’s Digital Future
Arctic/Pacific
Ballroom
Ballroom
Todd C. Sharp
Principal Executive Technology
Advisor & Field CTO,
Global Healthcare/Life Sciences Team
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Advisor & Field CTO,
Global Healthcare/Life Sciences Team
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jeff Arnold
Co-Founder &
Executive Chairman
Sharecare
Executive Chairman
Sharecare
Stuart Portman
Executive Director of
Medical Assistance Plans
Georgia Department of
Community Health
Medical Assistance Plans
Georgia Department of
Community Health
2:45 – 4:15pm
The State of Healthcare: Industry Leaders’ Perspectives – Reimagining Workforce
(1.5 hours of ACHE In-Person Education credit)
Atlantic
Ballroom
Ballroom
Jay Dennard, FACHE, FHFMA, CPXP
President,
Gwinnett Hospital Foundation,
VP Governmental &
Community Affairs
Northside Hospital System
Gwinnett Hospital Foundation,
VP Governmental &
Community Affairs
Northside Hospital System
Chris Franklin
President
LocumTenens.com
LocumTenens.com
Chet Bhasin, FACHE, MBA, MS
Executive Director
Georgia Board of
Healthcare Workforce
Georgia Board of
Healthcare Workforce
Douglas Patten, MD, FACS
Associate Dean,
SW Regional Campus
Medical College of Georgia
at Augusta University
SW Regional Campus
Medical College of Georgia
at Augusta University